Many naturally occurring and synthetic ergolines are known to bind in a non-specific manner to receptors for the bioamine neurotransmitters, e.g., dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin and to function as agonists or antagonists for these compounds at these receptors. Developing compounds that are selective or specific for certain specific receptors allows for achievement of desirable therapeutic actions while eliminating or reducing unwanted side effects and accordingly is an important challenge. For example, selective serotonin antagonists have been developed for the treatment of migraine and more recently, selective dopamine agonists for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and hyperprolactinemia have been discovered.
However, there is a continuing need for less toxic and more selective ergoline derivatives to treat a variety of disorders such as, for example, migraines wherein selective agonism (e.g., 5-HT1D and 5-HT1B and antagonism (e.g., 5-HT2B) neurotransmitters receptors are preferable.